It will soon be one of the most eye-catching structures in the country. The 300,000-square-foot Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, dedicated to the art and science of the film industry, will open in 2019 in Los Angeles. Designed by Renzo Piano, founder of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the museum will feature 50,000 square feet of galleries, exhibits and theaters.

The Academy Museum, slated to open in mid-2019, took another step forward in recent days as the scaffolding that has surrounded the sphere, that's been dubbed the "Death Star" and which will house the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater, was removed. For the first time, it's possible to see how the sphere rests on four giant plinths, allowing visitors to walk under it to reach the old May Co. building, rechristened the Saban Building.